Arrhythmia detection using hidden regularity to improve specificity

Abstract

A method for identifying a target arrhythmia, for example, atrial fibrillation, with very high specificity includes obtaining heart rhythm data such as EKG data, selecting and analyzing a segment of the data for arrhythmia, if an arrhythmia is found then reanalyzing the segment of data for a hidden regularity that would indicate the data is not the target arrhythmia. If no hidden regularity is found, then identifying the segment as the target arrhythmia.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows: 
     
         1 . A method for determining an arrhythmia burden in heart rhythm data comprising:
 monitoring the electrical activity of a heart to obtain a heart rhythm data set;   segmenting the heart rhythm data set into a plurality of segments having a predetermined number of heart beat intervals;   analyzing a first segment of the heart rhythm data for a target arrhythmia using a method having high specificity; and   if the method having high specificity indicates the target arrhythmia is present in the first analysis segment then (i) identifying the first segment of the heart rhythm data as indicating the target arrhythmia; (ii) analyzing or reanalyzing adjacent segments of the heart rhythm data for the target arrhythmia using a method having a higher sensitivity sequentially until the method having higher sensitivity does not indicate the target arrhythmia; and (iii) identifying an earliest segment for which the higher sensitivity method indicates the target arrhythmia as a start of the target arrhythmia and identifying a latest segment for which the higher sensitivity method indicates the target arrhythmia as an end of the target arrhythmia.